Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said Monday that he me with the jailed former president, Robert Kocharyan, in prison earlier today “to discuss a range of affairs”.
“We considered the procedures of visitations, for example, with family members, which we, logically, had previously arranged. There is an interdict, but we certainly worked in that direction, and I think permission was issued also based on our intervention,” he told reporters.
Tatoyan said he maintains contact also with the second president’s lawyers.
Kocharyan is charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order in the period of the March 1-2, 2008 deadly post-electoral events.
Asked to comment on the defense team’s allegations that that the criminal charges are politically motivated, the ombudsman said he does not possess the necessary legal tools (in his current capacity) to adequately evaluate the situation.
“We do not absolutely attach any significance to the public sentiments around the given personality. It doesn’t virtually matter to us who faces criminal charges in question. We work in line with our tasks set, undertaking, naturally, all the necessary actions,” Tatoyan said, admitting at the same time that the high-profile criminal case (involving the ex-president) is of primary importance for the Ombudsman’s office.